KIESHA B. FREE | Cultural Catalyst

Be The Change

Kiesha is an independent cultural worker and producer of transformative experiences.

She collaborates with communities, organizations, and creative partners to design cultural projects that deepen connection, shift narratives, and move people toward more humane ways of being.

Her cultural production work lives at the intersection of:

storytelling & dialogue
arts activation
community building
and cultural strategy

Support & Collaborate

Explore examples of her work below. If something here resonates with you, there are some meaningful ways to be part of it:

Sponsor an existing project
Help sustain and expand work that is already impacting community
Partner on future experiences
Collaborate on new cultural projects aligned with shared values
Bring this work into your organization
Commission a custom experience designed through this lens

CONTACT KIESHA

If you were an attendee of Freshly Planted / Deeply Rooted on April 4th in Seattle, WA and would like to support Kiesha directly for this event, please click the button below. THANK YOU!!! Our healing truly takes a village.

Share your support

SELECTED CULTURAL PROJECTS

Kiesha produces a range of work designed to connect people, shift narratives, and bring ideas to life in meaningful ways. Each project reflects a different expression of the same core practice: using storytelling, gathering, and creative production to build more connected and humane experiences.

Dynamic Community & Culture Platform

Hey, Black Seattle! is a cultural platform and community-rooted ecosystem dedicated to celebrating, connecting, and amplifying Black life in the Puget Sound region.
To create meaningful connection, increase visibility, and cultivate a sense of belonging for Black people in a region where presence is often overlooked or misunderstood.
Belonging, visibility, and meaningful connection - while strengthening relationships across communities and supporting Black-owned businesses, community organizations and cultural spaces.
It moves beyond visibility into relationship - transforming lived, shared experience through intentional, community-centered design.
- Sponsor the work (LINK)
- Partner on a cultural initiative
- Help spread the word about the availability of the resource
- Encourage Black residents of the Puget Sound to join. (LINK)

Reflective Cultural Experience & Identity Exploration

A Black diasporic gathering centered on dialogue, reflection, and shared community connection across the diversity of Black experiences.
To foster honest conversation, deepen empathy, and build bridges across the diaspora - creating space to explore identity, belonging, and the many ways we come to understand ourselves and each other.
A deeper sense of connection, expanded understanding across lived experiences, and a grounded feeling of being both seen and held within community.
It honors the full spectrum of Black identity - creating fertile ground for nuanced, vulnerable conversation while holding care, complexity, and cultural truth at the center.
- Support the current April 2026 pilot (LINK)
- Sponsor a future gathering
- Bring this experience to your community

Narrative-Shifting Podcast & Personal Inquiry Platform

A conversation-driven podcast exploring identity, growth, culture, and the ongoing journey of becoming oneself in the face of oppressive cultural norms.
To create space for honest reflection and dialogue around the questions we don’t always have room to ask out loud. To help people learn what is possible for their lives by taking in other people’s perspectives.
Moments of clarity, recognition, and personal insight - helping listeners feel less alone in their experiences and more connected to their own truth.
It blends intimacy and insight - offering conversations that feel both deeply personal and widely resonant.
Sponsor the podcast
Book a live YOU Better! workshop or keynote for your community or organization.

Narrative-Driven Digital Miniseries

Project Name: Hey, Black Seattle! Origin Series

A storytelling series capturing the origins, spirit, and community impact of Hey, Black Seattle!
Director: Cedric Prim of Big Rock Studios.
To document and share the deeper story behind the platform - honoring the people, moments, and intentions that brought it to life.
A sense of connection to the “why” behind the work - offering audiences a deeper understanding of its purpose and evolution.
It centers narrative as legacy -preserving not just what was built, but why it mattered in the moment it was created.
- Watch the series (LINK)
- Support future storytelling projects
- Partner on narrative-driven cultural media

Original Music as Cultural Expression

Project Name: Hey, Black Seattle! Anthem

An original music project created to celebrate unity, identity, and shared cultural pride.
To use music as a unifying force - bringing people together through sound, cultural memory and youth expression.
Joy, connection, and a shared emotional experience that reinforces cultural pride and belonging.
It transforms community into sound - capturing the spirit of connection in a way that can be felt, remembered, and shared.
This marker of culture centers the voice of our youth - the star of the song is 12-year-old rapper Skye Dior.
- Fund future creative projects
- Collaborate on cultural storytelling through music, poetry, or visual arts.

Multi-Stop Community Engagement Experience

Project Name: Black-Owned Coffee Shop Tour

A region-wide experience inviting people to explore and support Black-owned coffee shops across Seattle & the surrounding metro area.
To intentionally circulate community support into Black-owned spaces while creating opportunities for connection and discovery in close proximity to residents’ home or work.
Economic impact, increased visibility for small businesses, and shared experiences that strengthen community ties.
It’s a tour where community connection is the main attraction!
Sponsor a future tour

Intergenerational Live Experience & Youth Showcase

Project Name: Youth Revolutionary Thought Salon

A space for young people to engage in critical dialogue, explore the stories of revolutionaries, and develop their voices through affirmation and reflection with their community.
To nurture curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking in the next generation - creating space for them to question, imagine, and articulate their perspectives.
To inspire others in the community to learn the stories of Black revolutionaries.
Empowered youth who feel seen, heard, and more equipped to engage with the world around them.
It treats young people as thinkers and contributors - not just participants - centering their voices in meaningful dialogue.
- Fund a salon series
- Partner to bring this experience to schools or youth organizations

Custom Panel Curation

Project Name: Empowering Black Women in the Workplace (Avalara)

A thoughtfully curated panel experience designed to foster meaningful dialogue within a corporate environment.
To move beyond surface-level conversations and create space for depth, reflection, and authentic engagement within organizations.
More connected teams, expanded perspectives, and conversations that resonate beyond the moment.
It bridges cultural depth with organizational context - bringing humanity into spaces that often prioritize performance over connection.
It taps into Kiesha’s vast network of thinkers and guides surfacing the unique brilliance of people who are the gems you may not yet know.
Commission a custom experience

Purpose-Driven Live Entertainment Fundraiser

Project Name: All-Female Comedy Benefit Showcase

A live event blending comedy, community, and fundraising in support of a meaningful cause.
To create joy-filled spaces that bring people together while directing energy and resources toward community impact.
Shared laughter, collective joy, a stage for women in comedy, and tangible support for initiatives that matter.
It pairs levity with purpose and uses live-performance as a vehicle to support women in the arts along with community and contribution.
Partner on future fundraising events

Pop-Up Civic & Educational Film Experience

Project Name: SELMA Screening in Oakdale, Louisiana

A community screening experience created to bring students and their community together around shared history and reflection.
With support from Paramount Pictures & a post-show after-care conversation with Luvvie Ajayi, Kiesha transformed the gym of her hig
To create accessible spaces for collective learning, remembrance, and dialogue around pivotal cultural moments - in this case, bringing a powerful cultural film to a space that lacks access to cinema.
Opportunities for reflection, conversation, and deeper understanding of history and its present-day impact.
The acknowledgement that where institutions fail, your community will not forget you.
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Let’s Build What’s Next

This work spans platforms, mediums, and audiences - but the throughline is the same:

Creating experiences that help people understand their lives with more context, feel more connected, and more fully themselves.

If you’re interested in:

supporting existing projects
collaborating on something new
or bringing this kind of work into your organization…

Let's Start a Conversation